Royal Coda | |
---|---|
Origin | Sacramento, California, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 2017–present |
Labels | |
Members | Sergio Medina Kurt Travis Will Swan Steffen Gotsch Joel Turcotte |
Past members | Thomas Erak Jason Ellis Joseph Arrington |
Website | Official Facebook |
Royal Coda is an American rock band based in Sacramento, California, founded by lead guitarist Sergio Medina. They are known for their amalgamation of progressive rock, psychedelic rock, and post-hardcore. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Kurt Travis, guitarists Sergio Medina and Will Swan, bass guitarist Steffen Gotsch, and drummer Joel Turcotte.
After the dissolution of the post-hardcore band Stolas, Medina formed Royal Coda as a project to experiment with new writing styles outside of his typical routine. After former A Lot Like Birds members Travis and Arrington joined the group, they recorded their self-titled debut album, Royal Coda , which was released in April 2018 on Blue Swan Records. In 2019, the band recruited Dance Gavin Dance guitarist Will Swan and touring bass guitarist Steffen Gotsch, releasing their sophomore studio album, Compassion , in November to critical acclaim. In 2020, the group recorded their third album To Only A Few At First , which was released on Blue Swan and Rise Records in August 2022. In December 2022, Medina confirmed via Instagram that Arrington had retired from music altogether.
Royal Coda was founded by guitarist and musician Sergio Medina in 2017 after wanting to pursue a solo musical project that would explore new musical styles outside of his current projects. The band announced its formation on January 28, 2018, revealing that they signed to independent record label Blue Swan Records. [1] The band originally consisted of Sergio Medina, also the guitarist for Sianvar, and Stolas (band), former Dance Gavin Dance and A Lot Like Birds vocalist Kurt Travis, and Sianvar and former A Lot Like Birds drummer Joseph Arrington. [2]
The band's logo is a hand, palm up, with a flame above it. [3]
On January 29, 2018, Royal Coda announced that they had finished tracking their debut studio album. [4] The group wrote and recorded their debut album at VuDu Studios in Port Jefferson, New York and was produced with Dominic Nastasi and Mike Watts. [5] On February 16, 2018, the band premiered their debut single "Anything to Save". [6] Another song, "Cut Me Under", was released on March 29, along with announcement of their self-titled debut studio album. [7] A third song, "Breathe Correct", was released on April 12, 2018, with a streaming premiere on Substream Magazine. [8]
Their self-titled debut studio album was made available to stream a day before its release date, on April 26, 2018, on New Noise Magazine. [9]
The band performed their first two concerts at Family Vacation Music Festival in Sacramento, California on May 19 and at Chain Reaction in Anaheim, California, on May 20. [10]
Drummer Joseph Arrington announced that the band were to record more new music in 2018. [11] [12]
On June 22, 2018, it was announced that Royal Coda would tour as support on American singer Tilian's headlining solo tour, from August 23 to September 23, 2018, in the United States. [13] On July 16, it was confirmed that The Fall of Troy frontman Thomas Erak would join Royal Coda as a touring guitarist and backing vocalist. [14]
On August 25, 2018, it was revealed that Erak and former Dance Gavin Dance bass guitarist Jason Ellis were official members of the band. However, Erak left the band halfway through Tilian's headlining tour reportedly focusing on his solo career, leaving Royal Coda to continue as a four-piece outfit.
On February 1, 2019, it was revealed that Royal Coda would perform at the 1st Annual Blue Swan Records Swanfest on March 30, 2019. [15] On February 11, the group announced its first headlining tour, which took place from March 14 to March 30, 2019, in the United States, with support from Body Thief. [16]
On June 4, 2019, it was revealed Royal Coda would tour as support on American post-hardcore band Hail the Sun's The Mental Knife North American tour from September 13 to October 13. [17] On June 5, it was announced that Dance Gavin Dance guitarist Will Swan had joined the band and would write guitar parts for the group's second studio album; this marks the second musical group Sergio Medina and Swan have been a part of together in addition to Sianvar. [18] Arrington confirmed that the group's second studio album was completed being mastered by Kris Crummett on August 13, 2019. [19] The same month, bass guitarist Jason Ellis parted ways with the band due to personal issues, and was replaced by Steffen Gotsch. [20]
On September 10, 2019, Royal Coda released the lead single off their upcoming second studio album, "Numbing Agent". [21] It is their first release to feature Swan. On September 12, the band announced their second studio album, Compassion , with a scheduled release date of November 7, 2019. A second single, "Becoming the Memory", was released on September 30. [22] On November 12, it was revealed that the group would tour as support on Dance Gavin Dance's 2020 spring tour with Animals As Leaders and Veil of Maya. On March 12, 2020, the tour was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [23]
On September 23, 2020, the group announced that they were writing their third studio album in September and were to begin recording sessions with Kris Crummett in October. [24]
Royal Coda was set to tour as support on Tilian's US headlining Factory Reset Tour in February and March 2022, but the tour was postponed by Tilian a month before the tour was set to start. [25] On December 23, 2021, the group released the music video for the stand-alone single "Even If". [26] "Even If" was released to digital download and streaming services on January 14, 2022. [27]
On July 6, 2022, the band announced their third studio album, To Only A Few At First , and released two songs, "We Slowly Lose Hope For Things To Come" and "Screen Time Overload", the former of which had a music video premiere on Blue Swan Records channel on YouTube. [28] The band performed as support on Dance Gavin Dance's US summer tour from July 26 to August 24, 2022, along with Body Thief. [29]
In November 2022, it was revealed that drummer Joseph Arrington had retired from touring and performing live shows. [30] Joel Turcotte, formerly of Catbamboo, stepped in during Dance Gavin Dance's Headline Tour "An Evening With Friends" in which Royal Coda opened.
Royal Coda has been labeled as post-hardcore, [31] progressive rock, [32] experimental rock, [33] and post-rock. [31]
Timeline
Dance Gavin Dance is an American post-hardcore band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2005. It consists of unclean vocalist Jon Mess, lead guitarist Will Swan, clean vocalist and rhythm guitarist Andrew Wells, and drummer Matthew Mingus. The band formerly included lead vocalists Jonny Craig, Kurt Travis, and Tilian Pearson, and the lineup has changed numerous times since their inception. Swan and Mingus are the only band members who have appeared on every studio album.
Kurt Travis is an American singer, musician, and songwriter from Sacramento, California. He is currently part of the post-hardcore bands Royal Coda and Push Over and the math rock duo Gold Necklace and was formerly a vocalist in the rock bands Dance Gavin Dance and A Lot Like Birds.
Stolas was an American post-hardcore band from Las Vegas, Nevada formed in 2011. The band consisted of Carlo Marquez, and Sergio Medina. The band was signed as the first band on Blue Swan Records in 2013, a record label launched by Will Swan of Dance Gavin Dance. They have released one EP, Losing Wings (2012) and three studio albums, Living Creatures (2013), Allomaternal (2014), and Stolas (2017). The group signed to Equal Vision Records in 2016.
William Swan is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance and as the founder and owner of record label Blue Swan Records. He is also a guitarist in the metal band Secret Band, progressive rock band Royal Coda, and was a guitarist in the now defunct Sianvar.
Sianvar was an American progressive rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2013. The group currently consists of lead vocalist Donovan Melero, guitarists Will Swan and Sergio Medina, and drummer Joseph Arrington. The band is signed to Swan's independent record label Blue Swan Records. They released their debut self-titled EP on January 5, 2014 and their debut full-length studio album, Stay Lost, in August 2016. The band announced an indefinite hiatus on April 8, 2019.
Stay Lost is the debut full-length studio album by American post-hardcore band Sianvar, released on August 5, 2016, on Blue Swan Records. The album serves as a follow-up to the band's 2014 debut EP, Sianvar. It is the band's only studio album to feature bass guitarist Michael Franzino and is the final release before the group announced its indefinite hiatus in April 2019.
The Skeptic is the third solo studio album by American singer-songwriter and former Dance Gavin Dance vocalist Tilian Pearson, released on September 28, 2018, through Future Friends and Rise Records. The album is a follow-up to his second studio album, Perfect Enemy (2015), and is his first solo release on Rise since departing with Vital Records. The album was produced by Kris Crummett, who performed drums and percussion on the record, while Pearson performed guitar, keyboards, and bass guitar.
Royal Coda is the eponymous debut full-length studio album by American post-hardcore band Royal Coda, released on April 27, 2018, on Blue Swan Records. The album was produced by Dominic Nastasi and Mike Watts. It is the only release to feature the original trio of lead vocalist Kurt Travis, guitarist Sergio Medina, and drummer Joseph Arrington before guitarist Will Swan joined the three musicians the following year.
Eidola is an American rock band from Salt Lake City, Utah, formed in 2011. The band consists of lead vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Wells, guitarist Sergio Medina, bass guitarist James Johnson, guitarist and unclean vocalist Matthew Dommer, and drummer Matthew Hansen. They self-released their debut studio album, The Great Glass Elephant, in 2012. The group signed to Blue Swan Records in 2014 and released their second and third albums, Degeneraterra (2015) and To Speak, To Listen (2017). In December 2017, lead guitarist Brandon Bascom left the band and was replaced by Royal Coda guitarist Sergio Medina.
Wolf & Bear is an American post-hardcore band from Sacramento, California. Formed in 2013, the band consists of vocalists Marcus Cisneros and Tyler Watt, guitarists Cameron Nunez and Louie Baltazar, and drummer Jacob Koval. The band originated in the Central Valley hardcore punk music scene, later signing to Blue Swan Records and releasing a split with post-hardcore band Adventurer in May 2016 and their debut studio album, Everything Is Going Grey, in October 2017.
Push Over is an American post-hardcore musical duo composed of American musicians Thomas Erak, of Prog Rock band The Fall of Troy, and Kurt Travis, of rock band Royal Coda. Formed in 2017, the band released one demo extended play in February 2017 and were originally set to release their debut studio album in 2021, yet was postponed indefinitely. The duo are currently on hiatus and pursuing their respective endeavors.
"Head Hunter" is a song performed by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance. It was released as a single for digital download and streaming on March 22, 2019, through Rise Records. It serves as a stand-alone single and will not be featured on the group's recent ninth studio album, and is the first piece of new music since the band's eighth studio album, Artificial Selection (2018). It was written by the band's vocalists Tilian Pearson and Jon Mess, with the music composed by the band with additional guitar and vocals from Eidola guitarist Andrew Wells.
There’s A Place I Want To Take You is the second studio album by American recording artist Kurt Travis, released on May 17, 2019, through Blue Swan Records and his own label, Esque Records. It also serves as a follow-up to his debut studio album, Everything Is Beautiful (2014). The album's lyrical content deals with heartbreak and emotional turmoil while, sonically, Travis pursued folk-inspired songwriting, using elements of indie rock, electronica, dream pop, and power pop. It was produced by Mike Watts and recorded at VuDu Recording Studios in Port Jefferson, New York and features a guest appearance from singer-rapper Andrés on two tracks.
Compassion is the second full-length studio album by American post-hardcore band Royal Coda. It was released on November 7, 2019, on Blue Swan Records, and serves as a follow-up to their self-titled debut studio album. It is the band's first album to feature guitarist Will Swan and was produced by Kris Crummett.
Afterburner is the ninth full-length studio album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance. Released on April 24, 2020, on Rise Records, the album serves as a follow-up to the group's eighth studio album, Artificial Selection (2018). Recording sessions for the album took place over a three-month period between August and October 2019 with producer Kris Crummett at Interlace Audio in Portland, Oregon, while the vocals were recorded with producer Drew Fulk in Los Angeles, California. The album is considered a musical progression for the band, as the group experimented with funk, Latin, rap, and metalcore which accompanied their post-hardcore and experimental rock styles. It is the group's final studio album to be released during bass guitarist Tim Feerick's lifetime before his death in April 2022.
"Prisoner" is a song by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance. It was released to digital download and streaming services as the lead single from their ninth studio album, Afterburner, on February 21, 2020, by Rise Records. The song features an uncredited guest appearance from Royal Coda and Eidola guitarist Sergio Medina.
Factory Reset is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician Tilian Pearson, released on April 23, 2021, through Future Friends and Rise Records. The album serves as a follow-up to his third studio album, The Skeptic (2018). Similar to The Skeptic, the album was produced by Kris Crummett, who also performed drums, while Tilian performed guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, and handled additional production. It was writhen and recorded at the musician's home recording studio in Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic, while engineering was handled at Crummett's Interlace Audio Studio in Portland, Oregon. The album shares the same pop rock and electro-pop musical styles from its predecessor while including elements of progressive rock, electronic rock, trap, and dancehall.
The Architect is the fourth full-length studio album by American rock band Eidola, released on September 17, 2021 through Blue Swan Records and Rise Records. The album serves as a follow-up to their third studio album, To Speak, To Listen (2017), and is their first to not feature rhythm guitarist Brandon Bascom, who departed from the band in December 2017 and was replaced by Royal Coda guitarist Sergio Medina. It is also the band's first release since their record label Blue Swan Records partnered with Rise in February 2021. The album was produced by Ian Cooperstein and Kris Crummett with recording sessions taking place at Interlace Audio in Portland, Oregon.
Gold Necklace is the self-titled debut studio album by American progressive rock duo Gold Necklace, composed of American musicians Kurt Travis (vocals) and Brandon Ewing. The album was released on November 12, 2021 through the independent record label Kill Iconic Records, a label owned by Hail the Sun frontman Donovan Melero. Produced by Josh Benton, the album was written and recorded at Pus Cavern Studios in Sacramento, California between March and July 2021. Joseph Arrington wrote, performed, and recorded drums for the album. Gold Necklace is a progressive rock and jazz-fusion album with influences of funk, soul, R&B, and jazz.
Jackpot Juicer is the tenth full-length studio album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance, released on July 29, 2022, on Rise Records. It serves as the follow-up to their ninth studio album, Afterburner (2020). Produced by Kris Crummett, the album was recorded at Interlace Audio in Portland, Oregon, between April and July 2021 and is the band's longest album to date consisting of eighteen tracks and a runtime of one hour and three minutes. It is the band's first studio album to be credited as a sextet since Acceptance Speech (2013) as well as their first to feature Andrew Wells as an official member since joining as a touring guitarist in 2015. It is also their final release to feature bassist Tim Feerick, who died on April 13, 2022, and vocalist Tilian Pearson, who left the band in April 2024.